The Mars Rover Can 'Dream'

For the next two years, Mars rover Curiosity will spend her days
roaming around the Red Planet trying to determine if Mars ever
was, or is, able to support microbial life.

In many ways, the plutonium-powered science laboratory on wheels
is like a person. At least that's how Curiosity's makers want us
to think of her (yes, the one-ton robot is a she
according to the rover's Twitter account).

The agency has created a whole section where it compares all the
rover's parts to human body parts. The rover has a
body (the structure that protects her internal
components); a neck and head (a mast that
carries the cameras or "eyes"); arms and
hands (instruments that collect rock and dust samples);
legs (attached to wheels that help it move
around); and a brain (the computer that
processes all of commands send from the flight team and monitors
the rover's health ). And because traveling around Mars all day
while tolerating extreme radiation and temperature swings can use
up a lot of energy, Curiosity, like a person, has different
stages of consciousness: awake, sleep and "dream mode." Which
means Curiosity can dream! Well, sort of.

In "dream mode" the robot's brain is asleep, but it can still
perform many activities. We assume this is kind of like
sleepwalking. "Dream mode" saves energy while allowing scientists
to assess the health of the vehicle and check vital functions by
turning on different instruments, like heaters, while Curiosity
is sleeping. These tests prepare Curiosity for its next day on
Mars.

"A lot of times we do stuff with the rover computer off, because
it saves energy for us," rover mission systems manager Mike
Watkins
told reporters Tuesday. "By using our reptile brain here in
dream mode, it allows us to do just enough activities to stay
alive and monitor what's going on when we're asleep."

Meanwhile, Curiosity is getting ready for its first tes drive on
the Martian surface, which NASA says should take place within a week or
so.